Segment Information-Narrative (Details)			1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 27, 2014 USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2014 USD ($)	Jul. 04, 2015 USD ($) MW	Sep. 27, 2014 USD ($)	Sep. 28, 2013 USD ($)	Oct. 03, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 04, 2015 USD ($) MW	Sep. 27, 2014 USD ($) $ / shares	Jul. 04, 2015 USD ($) MW	Oct. 03, 2015 USD ($) item	Sep. 27, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) item	Sep. 03, 2014 MW	Dec. 31, 2006 USD ($)
Segment Information
Net proceeds from sale of controlling interest in subsidiary											$ 72,500,000
Gain on sale of controlling interest in subsidiary								$ 64,392,000			64,392,000
Amount contributed as additional equity to provide additional working capital to equity method investee										$ 77,677,000	22,083,000
Notes receivable from affiliates						$ 196,087,000				196,087,000		$ 197,270,000
Income (loss) from affiliates						16,026,000		9,892,000		39,062,000	25,293,000
Total investment in affiliate						635,949,000				635,949,000		543,411,000
Pork
Segment Information
Income (loss) from affiliates						2,087,000				8,576,000
Total investment in affiliate						101,592,000				101,592,000		79,832,000
Commodity Trading and Milling
Segment Information
Income (loss) from affiliates						(18,720,000)		(4,729,000)		(43,916,000)	(6,934,000)
Total investment in affiliate						196,736,000				196,736,000		$ 178,344,000
Commodity Trading and Milling | Democratic Republic of Congo
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment												50.00%
Payment received from interest bearing long-term notes			$ 0
Power
Segment Information
Income (loss) from affiliates						1,971,000		400,000		2,096,000	1,354,000
Total investment in affiliate						32,444,000				32,444,000		$ 20,348,000
Power | Dominican Republic
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment			29.90%				29.90%		29.90%
Amount invested for acquiring non-controlling interest							$ 10,000,000		$ 10,000,000
Capacity of power facility leased (in megawatts) | MW			300				300		300				72
Gain on sale of assets								4,953,000
Amount invested under cost method														$ 5,910,000
Power | Dominican Republic | Change in accounting method
Segment Information
Increase in investment in affiliates		$ 12,691,000
Turkey
Segment Information
Income (loss) from affiliates						30,097,000		14,333,000		70,122,000	30,237,000
Total investment in affiliate						283,493,000				283,493,000		244,560,000
Marine
Segment Information
Income (loss) from affiliates						504,000				1,570,000
Total investment in affiliate						18,356,000				18,356,000		17,333,000
Butterball, LLC | Long-term note receivable
Segment Information
Notes receivable from affiliates						154,000,000				154,000,000
Butterball, LLC | Turkey
Segment Information
Net sales						511,125,000		486,971,000		1,299,562,000	1,218,402,000
Operating income (loss)						68,997,000		$ 35,881,000		162,956,000	$ 85,311,000
Total assets						1,074,210,000				1,074,210,000		1,021,182,000
Bakery business | Democratic Republic of Congo
Segment Information
Total investment in affiliate						58,712,000				$ 58,712,000
Bakery business | Democratic Republic of Congo | Supplier concentration risk
Segment Information
Number of suppliers | item										1
Bakery business | Commodity Trading and Milling | Democratic Republic of Congo
Segment Information
Due from affiliates						34,556,000				$ 34,556,000
Flour production in Brazil | Commodity Trading and Milling | Brazil
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment					50.00%
Amount contributed as additional equity to provide additional working capital to equity method investee						17,735,000				23,289,000
Amount invested for acquiring non-controlling interest					$ 17,000,000
Income (loss) from affiliates						(4,296,000)				(26,209,000)
Reserve on remaining portion of advances and long-term notes receivable						12,937,000				22,282,000
Third party debt						27,481,000				27,481,000
Total investment in affiliate						0				0		11,669,000
Due from affiliates						22,042,000				22,042,000		13,969,000
Bad debt expense for receivable from affiliates						5,700,000
Reserve for receivable from affiliates						$ 8,700,000				$ 8,700,000
Flour production in Brazil | Commodity Trading and Milling | Brazil | Long-term note receivable
Segment Information
Notes receivable from affiliates					$ 13,000,000							$ 13,849,000
Flour production in Brazil | Flour | Long-term note receivable
Segment Information
Interest received in cash (as a percent)					50.00%
Interest receivable in kind (as a percent)					50.00%
Cargo terminal operator in Jamaica | Marine
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment	21.00%			21.00%				21.00%			21.00%
Amount invested for acquiring non-controlling interest				$ 17,333,000
Daily's
Segment Information
Number of processing units | item												2
Daily's | Pork
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment	50.00%			50.00%				50.00%			50.00%
Divestiture of a 50% interest in Daily's | Triumph | Pork
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest sold	50.00%			50.00%				50.00%			50.00%
Net proceeds from sale of controlling interest in subsidiary	$ 72,500,000
Gain on sale of controlling interest in subsidiary	$ 64,392,000
Divestiture of a 50% interest in Daily's | Disposed of by Sale | Triumph | Pork
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest sold	50.00%			50.00%				50.00%			50.00%
Gain on sale of controlling interest in subsidiary								$ 64,392,000
Gain on sale of controlling interest in subsidiary, net of tax								$ 39,279,000
Gain on sale of controlling interest in subsidiary (in dollars per share) | $ / shares								$ 33.56